Technology rewires brains

Brain boffins claim that using the computer too much might be hardwiring our grey matter to work in a different way.

Gary Small, a psychiatrist at UCLA, has a theory that daily exposure to digital technologies such as the Internet and smart phones can alter how the brain works. He reckons that if the brain spends more time on technology-related tasks and less time exposed to people, users forget fundamental social skills, like reading facial expressions during conversation.

This leads to social awkwardness, an inability to interpret non-verbal messages, isolation and less interest in traditional classroom learning. Although it is fair to say a lot of people are like that without ever going near a computer.

People in their teens and 20s have been "digitally hard-wired since toddlerhood" and it is important to help them improve their social skills.